Church pew



Nov. 24, 1964 I E. W. TUHTAR CHURCH FEW Filed Dec. 10, 1962 sms I hiiin.\5 s T m Him. [P1165 8 INVENTOR.

EUGENE W TUHTAFQ Unitcd States Patent 3,158,400 CHURCH PEW Eugene W.Tuhtar, 424 Elm Lane, Janesville, Wis. Filed Dec. 10, 1962, Ser. No.243,530 9 Claims. (Cl. 297-460) This invention relates to benches suchas church pews of the curved back type.

The invention provides a strong, comfortable, economical and attractivechurch pew of the curved-back type.

The back panels of church pews have heretofore been wood panels usuallyfrom three-fourths inch to one and one-half (1 /2) inches thick. Suchpanels were sometimes solid wood and sometimes laminated, being made upof a plurality of layers of wood glued together. Such panels weresometimes flat, and sometimes curved to a desired shape. When so curved,it was usually accomplished by using forms or molds and applyingpressure and steam or heat to permanently deform the back panel into astatic, unstressed curved piece.

This invention provides, in a church pew, a one-piece thin back panelheld under stress elastically deformed so as to be curved forwardlyconvex and rearwardly concave, thereby resulting in a strong,economical, comfortable and attractive church pew of great simplicityand usefulness.

The invention permits lower cost church pews through savings inmaterial, in manufacture and in assembly.

The invention permits the use of thin panel materials such as plywood,Masonite wood, cardboard, paper, metal and plastics.

The invention permits greater curvature of the back panel, i.e.curvature about a smaller radius than is possible with present heavyconstructions, and thus can provide greater comfort.

The invention provides effective storage means adjacent the pew back forhymnals, pencils, envelopes, etc.

These and other objects and advantages will become apparent from thefollowing description when read in conjunction with the accompanyingdrawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a plan view of a church pew illustrating an embodiment of theinvention;

FIG. 2 is a rear elevational view of the pew shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a sectional view thereof, taken along lines 33 in FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a rear elevational view of a church pew illustrating a secondembodiment of the invention;

FIG. 5 is a sectional view thereof, taken along lines s s in FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a rear elevational view of a church pew illustrating a thirdembodiment of the invention;

FIG. 7 is a sectional view thereof, taken along lines 7-7 in FIG. 6;

FIG. 8 is a sectional view of a church pew illustrating a fourthembodiment of the invention.

FIG. 9 is a perspective view illustrating an alternate form of strutuseful in the invention; and

FIG. 10 is a perspective view illustrating still another form of strutuseful in the invention.

Referring to the drawings, there is shown a church pew havingconventional end pieces E, a seat S, a top rail TR and a bottom rail BR.The rails may be of any suitable material such as wood, metal or plasticand are fastened to the end pieces in any suitable manner and may berouted thereinto if desired. The seat is fixed to the end pieces in anysuitable manner, as by being routed thereinto or being fixed to abracket which is routed thereinto. The bottom rail is fixed to the seatin any suitable manner. The seat S may be plain, as shown, or may be ofany desired contour and cushioned, upholstered or padded as desired.

3,158,400 Patented Nov. 24, 1964 normally fiat and when fiat has aheight dimension secured to the rails.

greater than the panel space between rails, is placed under stress bycurving it and installing it so curved, as shown, held between the railsin grooves as shown or otherwise The curving deformation is elastic, notpermanent, so that the panelis under stress, the concave side being incompression and the convex side in tension. The panel, stressed curvedabout a. generally horizontal axis, is stronger than it would be if notso stressed, and is as strong as a very much thicker ordinary unstressedpanel. The panel may be of the order of one-sixteenth inch to one-eighthA5) inch of panel material such as Masonite material, and because of thestressed condition be of sufficient strength to carry the maximum loadsplaced thereon in use; and the back panel is exceptionally comfortableas well. The panel may be of any desired panel material elastically.deformed,

i.e. curved so as to be urging return or stressed, as opposed to beingpermanently bent to be static or un stressed.

The stressed, curved panel P, is constantly tending to return to itsformer flat condition, and thus constantly tends to how the upper railupwardly and/ or thebottom rail downwardly. Depending upon the rigidityof the rails, and distance of span between end pieces E, and the urgingreturn force of the panel, the rails may actually bow. To prevent suchbowing, one or more struts such as'strut ST may be provided, as shown inFIGS. 4'and 5, connecting the rails TR and BR together in proper spacedrelationship. The strut may be a rigid member of any suitable materialsuch as wood, metal, or plastic, and may be contoured to fit the back ofthe panel, if desired. The strut may be a portion of a pew supportmember SM, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, or may be simply a rigid railconnecting member as shown in FIGS. 9 and 10. In FIG. 9, the strut ST3is contoured to lit the back of the panel. In FIG. 10, the strut ST4 issimply straight, not being so contoured. The strut may be of wire, asshown in FIG. 7, and may be of adjustable tension type, using forexample a turnbuckle as shown.

As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the struts may serve as supports for storageracks SR for hymnals, pencils, programs, etc.

FIGS. 6 and 7 illustrate an embodiment of the invention wherein a pairof curved, stressed panels is installed, panel P of the pair beingforwardly convex and the other, panel P2, being rearwardly convex. Thisarrangement provides a nicely finished appearance front and rear, and byplacing openings 0 in panel P2, a novel and effective storage space isprovided between the panels. Struts STZ of the wire type may be used, orrigid struts of other material may be used, if desired. i

FIG. 8 illustrates an embodiment of the invention wherein a compoundcurve back is obtained by utilizing between top rail TR and anintermediate rail IR, a thin panel PA stressed curved forwardly convexas shown, and by utilizing between intermediate rail IR and bottom railBR, a thin panel PB stressed curved rearwardly convex as shown.

I claim:

1. A church pew comprising a thin, one-piece back panel which unstressedis flat, and means supporting said panel stressed in a curve innonpermanent, elastic debetween in a curve in nonperrnanent, elasticdeformation with its forward side convex and its rearward side concave,said panel constantly elastically urging return to its former flatcondition but is held in said curve and held again-st such returnby saidrails.

3. A church pew comprising an upper rail and a lower rail, a thin,one-piece back panel which unstressed is flat, said rails holding saidpanel stressed therebetween in a curve in nonpennanent elasticdeformation with its forward side convex and its rearward side concave,said panel constantly elastically urging return to its former flatcondition but is held in said curve and held against such return by saidrails and a strut member connecting said upper rail to said lower railintermediate the ends of said rails.

4. The invention set forth in claim 3 wherein said strut member includesmeans for adjusting the tension therein.

5. A church pew comprising a front back panel and a rear back .paneleach of which is a thin, one-piece panel which unstressed is flat, andmeans supporting each of said panels stressed in a curve innonpermanent, elastic deformation, said front back panel curved with itsforward side convex and rearward side concave, and said rear back panelcurved with its forward side concave and its rearward side convex, eachof said panels constantly elastically urging return to its former flatcondition but is held in said curve and held against such return by saidmeans.

6'. A church pew comprising a top back rail,- an intermediate back railand a bottom back rail, an upper back panel and a lower back panel eachof which unstressed is flat, said top and intermediate rails holdingsaid upper back panel therebetween stressed in a curve in elasticdeformation with its forward side convex and its rearward side concave,said intermediate and bottom rails holding said lower back paneltherebetween stressed in a curve in elastic deformation with its forwardside concave and its rearward side convex.

.7. A church pew comprising a pair of pew ends, a 7

seat, an upper rail, a lower rail, and a thin one-piece back panel whichunstressed is flat, said rails holding said panel therebetween stressedin a curve about a generally horizontal axis in nonpermanent, elasticdeforma tion with the forward side of the panel convex and the rearwardside concave, said panel constantly elastically urging return to itsformer flat condition but is held in said curve and held against suchreturn by said rails.

8. The invention set forth in claim 7 further characterized in having astrut member disposed rearwardly of the panel connecting said rails toresist bowing apant of said rails.

9. The invention set forth in claim 7 wherein said strut member includesmeans for adjusting the tension therein.

References Qited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS FRANKB. SHERRY, Primary Examiner.

1. A CHURCH PEW COMPRISING A THIN, ONE-PIECE BACK PANEL WHICH UNSTRESSEDIS FLAT, AND MEANS SUPPORTING SAID PANEL STRESSED IN A CURVE INNONPERMANENT, ELASTIC DEFORMATION WITH ITS FORWARD SIDE CONVEX AND ITSREARWARD SIDE CONCAVE, SAID PANEL CONSTANTLY ELASTICALLY URGING RETURNTO ITS FORMER FLAT CONDITION BUT IS HELD IN SAID CURVE AND HELD AGAINSTSUCH RETURN BY SAID MEANS.